Suzanne Hazelton said she and her family moved abroad as everything is much cheaper
In July 2020, Suzanne Hazelton, 54, her husband, and their 11-year-old daughter swapped a Grade II-listed terrace house in Surrey to live mortgage-free in a penthouse apartment in Mojácar, Spain.
The family sold their three-bedroom home in the village of Compton for £625,000, freeing up cash for them to buy without a mortgage in Spain.
“It wasn’t just for financial reasons – although the finances were very compelling,” says Ms Hazelton, a former coach and psychotherapist. “My mum, who lives out in Spain, broke her hip during Covid, and my husband was told he needed a dry climate for his health.”
Ms Hazelton’s husband found out he was allergic to tree mould, something that was not helped by the fact that their “cutesy cottage” was surrounded by woodland.
In October 2020, when the family first moved to Mojácar in southeastern Spain, they bought a three-bedroom penthouse in a private complex with a shared pool, gardens, and solarium.
The family’s property in Spain is offering them much better value than in England
“We paid off the mortgage and bought the apartment for €180,000 (£156,000) in cash. We thought it was going to be our forever home, so we invested in things like solar panels on the roof.”
While enjoying Spanish life, Ms Hazelton soon realised that they wanted to socialise with more locals and make use of their Spanish, so, four weeks ago, they relocated to the town of Turre, 30 minutes outside Mojácar.
“I wanted to be able to have conversations at the school gates and have a space to invite my daughter’s friends and their families back to, which I couldn’t really do at the apartment.”
Like much Spanish property, their Mojácar penthouse had gone up in value significantly, and they were able to buy their new home, which has a large garden, palm trees, and its own pool, for €240,000 (£208,000), again in cash, and without a mortgage.
“We now live in a three-bedroom converted water mill. We’re four minutes from the town centre, which has everything we need, including a bank and a supermarket, but we live down a country lane in the middle of nowhere.”
As well as property prices, the family finds living costs in Spain are much cheaper.
As their Surrey cottage was listed and had single-glazed windows, their monthly gas and electricity bill came to £100, and they were not allowed to add double glazing or solar panels onto the roof.
In Surrey, their other bills included £1,600 a month for the mortgage, £250 for council tax, and over £300 for building insurance. They also ran two cars. “We’re down to one car here in Spain – we’re now easy walking distance of the town, so car costs have reduced for us too.”
Now, the family pays €20 (£17) every other month for electricity. “We have solar power, which makes a difference to our monthly running costs.” They also pay an annual property tax of €1,000 (£866) a year, €40 (£35) a quarter for water, and €120 (£104) annually for bin collection.
“We’re not big drinkers, but wine here is €2.30 (£2) a glass. I do a monthly call with girlfriends and joke that I could buy a case of wine for the same price as a glass in London.”
In the UK, Ms Hazelton estimates they spent £400 a month on food, and it’s the same in Spain, but they go out to eat more. “We have been out for lunchtime tapas locally and have had change from €10-15 (£9-£13).”
Ms Hazelton says she speaks more Spanish than most Brits living here, while her husband is almost fluent and her daughter, who attends Spanish school, is fully fluent, despite having to have a private tutor when they first arrived.
“It’s a different pace of life, the siesta here is respected, and shops close at 2pm and open again at 5pm. It’s hard to get your head round at first. Also, Spain is a very face-to-face culture, and it can be annoying if you aren’t used to that. You can’t just send an email or look something up online.”
Another frustration is the Spanish bureaucracy, and the paperwork associated with obtaining a licence to run a business has taken much longer than expected. While it was being processed, the family had to spend a year living off savings as they were unable to work, post-Brexit, on their Non-Lucrative Visa.
The couple is planning to stay in Spain for the long term and is in the process of setting up Desk Space Coworking, a co-working space, right opposite the beach in Mojácar.
“The idea is that people can take advantage of cheap mid-week flights, and can work here for a few days. The space has monitors, wi-fi, and is next door to a gym and restaurant. Flights are cheaper on a Wednesday, and it means you can take advantage of a €30 (£26) flight without losing holiday days.”
Ms Hazelton has no regrets about her family’s move from the UK. “A few years ago, a friend of mine passed away and left me a small sum of money. I promised her that I’d use it to pay off my mortgage, and I feel like I’ve honoured that by moving here.”